I’ve said it 100 times before – there
is only one Stanley Cup, therefore there can only be one champion – and do you
know what? The ice isn’t big enough for the two teams we are about to see skate
it out on the ice for the silver mug – so let’s cut the crap already and get it
on!

2008 STANLEY CUP FINAL

Detroit Red Wings vs
Pittsburgh Penguins

If you’re a television broadcasting executive, this series has to be a dream
matchup made in heaven. You have a market with a consistency for excellence on
and off the ice drawing huge ratings anytime they’re on the air, up against the
quote unquote “poster child” of the new NHL. Make no mistake – as much as the
ratings have increased tenfold in Canada thanks to three straight finals
involving a Canadian franchise, south of the border, the ratings of the final
over the last five seasons have been nothing short of scary. I’ve always said
in Canada you could stage a hockey game at the North Pole involving a team from
Africa and a team from Australia and it would still garner the best ratings of
any T.V. sitcom any day of the week. South of the 49th parallel?
Not so much. So is it any wonder having Detroit and Pittsburgh in the Stanley
Cup Final has already become the most anticipated final series of the decade?

A
bit of irony surrounds this final gem
of a series – we have two franchises who just so happen to have been the last
two to manage winning the Cup in back to back seasons – Detroit in 1997 and
1998, and Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992. Both had high expectations for a three
peat, and probably would have gotten there too, had it not been for a little
adversity along the way. Pittsburgh has managed a semi-final and two second
round appearances since their two straight Cup wins, followed by what seemed
like a lifetime in the basement of the NHL standings, and Detroit has since won
another Cup in 2002. Which team has enough left in the tank to win another
championship? We’re about to find out.

Why Detroit should win: One word:
experience. The Red Wings are always at or near the top of their division and
conference, and for good reason. They have the right mix of veterans who have
played this game for a very long time and know what it takes to win (Lidstrom,
Chelios, Drake). They have a plethora of good young talent and they’ve finally
learned how to produce at this level, and their presence has paid dividends
(Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen). We’ve heard a lot about how teams face
adversity and how teams able to overcome it are rewarded. Well, needless to
say, the seasons between the three Cup wins haven’t been anything short of
disappointing. The old adage about learning how to lose before learning how to
win is a course the Red Wings have taken before and repeated several times.
Aside from this year, they’ve only been to the final four once since their last
championship, and were pushed aside in six by last year’s champs. In previous
years they’ve suffered the disappointment of losing in the first or second round
more often than they’d like to remember. A lasting image for me was seeing
Steve Yzerman on the bench at Rexall Place in Game 6 of the Detroit-Edmonton
series in 2006 just minutes before the Oilers eliminated his team, and just the
sheer wonder of what must have been going through his mind, knowing he had
probably played his last game. But, Yzerman is still with the team at the
management level, and the players who remain all remember what it took to get
back to this stage, and they all now know what they need to do to hoist a fourth
Cup in 10 years, and 11th in franchise history. If they can do it,
only Montreal will have won more total championships, and even though they’ll be
tied with Toronto, Detroit will have the distinction of having the most in the
past decade. I’ve mentioned the players names in previous rounds – by now we
all know who plays on this team and what they represent. They know the
opportunity they’re faced with and are determined to seize the moment. It’s
worth mentioning again – Nicklas Lidstrom can be the first European player to
captain a winning team if the Red Wings – something we’ve heard about so often
but have yet to witness.

I
know there was a lot of concern about
Detroit’s inability to close out Dallas in a sweep in the last round after
winning the first three games – but if you ask me, they weren’t even trying in
Game 4, and had to fend off a desperate team in Game 5. In Game 6, on the road,
they finally came back to reality and got back to playing the type of hockey
they’ve been playing all year, and the type of hockey they’ll need to play to
win it all. Of course, Pittsburgh may have the undefeated streak at home
working in their favor, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen both teams
in the final win all their home games, and winning the President’s Trophy gives
Detroit home ice advantage. The Red Wings, put simply, just keep rolling and
they are cocked and loaded. Getting their top playoff “Mule” Johan Franzen back
in the lineup will certainly give them an emotional lift.

How Pittsburgh could win: This series
is so hard to call it’s not even funny. You already read about the experience
factor in Detroit. There are 23 Stanley Cup rings on the team spread among 10
players. Is it a story of too many cooks? The Penguins will argue it’s true
until they’re as blue in the face as their old school uniforms. No player has
ever won the Stanley Cup in just their 3rd NHL season – but if Sidney
Crosby can lead his team to victory, he’ll be the first in a long line of firsts
for this guy. He’s already the youngest player to win the scoring title, the
youngest captain of any in the league, and youngest player to win the Stanley
Cup would look good on any hockey resume. But let’s be honest – the team
wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for the efforts of one Mario Lemieux, the one
man who believed more than anybody this franchise can and will succeed in
Pittsburgh. It was just a little over a year ago a deal was finally struck with
the city to build a much needed new arena, and just months before the team’s
future was never in more doubt, as interest came from as far west as Kansas City
and as far north as Kitchener Ontario (the Winnipeg rumors notwithstanding).
One of the benefits of finishing in the basement as many years as this team did
was one of the reasons the Penguins were able to draft a player of Crosby’s
caliber in the first place. From there, the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Marc-
Andre Fleury before him, mixed with the right mix of veteran leadership and
snipers have turned this team into the powerhouse they’ve become. Sure, Gary
Roberts can will a team to victory all by himself, he’s done it many times
before, yet, that second Cup has eluded him since 1989. Marian Hossa has played
on some pretty good teams before, including a Portland Winter Hawks team that
won the Memorial Cup in 1998. While he came close to being here with Ottawa,
this is his first trip to the finals. Georges Laraque, who has become somewhat
of a modern day Dave Semenko, was in the 2006 finals, but of course didn’t win
it. Only four Stanley Cup rings can be found on this young Pittsburgh team
spread among three players – and Darryl Sydor has two of them – the only problem
is he hasn’t played a game since March 31st! It’s unfortunate
because he has 30 points and is a plus 9 in 55 career games against Detroit.

If you’re a fan of the trap (and who
honestly can say they are?), then perhaps you would be better off watching the
next local major Pee Wee tournament. Put simply, these teams like to skate,
shoot and score in bunches. Both teams are disciplined; both can play
defensively when necessary, but will also capitalize on the other team’s
mistakes faster than the goal judge can keep up. Put simply folks, we’re about
to end the season with a bang – so buckle up and may the best team win!

The last time two pro franchises from
both cities met was way back in 1909 – when the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit
Tigers met in the World Series. Hall of Famer Ty Cobb helped extend the series
to a seventh game, but the story of the series was another Hall of Famer –
shortstop Honus Wagner for Pittsburgh, as the Pirates won 4 games to 3. One
gets the feeling this Stanley Cup final will produce legends of its own.

Will the new kids on the block be able
to overcome the experience of Motown? I say no way, San Jose! Not to take
anything away from Crosby, Malkin and Hossa, but this series more than anything
will be a huge learning experience for the team Mario built. And this is a
truly fitting stat – by the time Game 4 is over, the Penguins will have sold out
exactly 66 straight home games since the season started. Enjoy them while you
can, fans of Pittsburgh – you deserve to be here – and go easy on the boys,
they’re still learning how to win.

Prediction: Red Wings in 5

ALONG THE BOARDS

So, once again, the shallow mind of
one Don Cherry has put his mouth before his brain. As entertaining as he can
often be, he is dead wrong when it comes to his assessment of Team Canada’s loss
to Team Russia in the recent World Championship. In case you missed it, Canada
had a 4-1 lead going into the 3rd period of the Gold medal game, then
the Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk show reconvened – by the time regulation
time was over, the Russians had tied the game 4-4. In overtime, last year’s
hero Shane Doan became this year’s heel. He was called for delay of game on one
of those wonderful “puck over the glass” plays everybody loves. And of course,
Kovalchuk, as he so often does (although it could have been anybody’s goal to
score) finished it for Russia, winning the Gold and relegating Canada to Silver.

So while Pittsburgh was finishing off
Philadelphia, in his usual Coach’s Corner segment, Cherry went on yet another
epic rant on how stupid the rule is and how it cost us the game. Excuse me?
Now I’ll be the first to agree with him on one thing - the rule is stupid, but
to say it cost Canada the game is ridiculous! Here’s a question. Why didn’t
somebody, anybody, remind the players after the 2nd intermission
there was still 20 minutes of hockey to play? We’ve seen it a million times
before – the dreaded three goal lead – the most dangerous lead in hockey (just
ask the New York Rangers). Every time it seems, the team with the lead gets
complacent, and more often than not all it takes is one goal from the other
team, and we have ourselves a game. Of any team to give life to, a team with
Ovechkin and Kovalchuk is the wrong team to allow back in any hockey game, at
any level. If they had been playing shinny it wouldn’t even have been close –
overtime wouldn’t have been necessary. Well, I guess you can’t blame Don for
being a patriotic Canadian. It’s one of the qualities I most respect him for,
but I just wish he’d look at the big picture once in awhile. By the way, we all
know you were Coach of the Year in 1976 – stop reminding us already! Nowadays
it has about as much relevance as Toronto’s last Stanley Cup win.

While we’re on the topic of the
International Ice Hockey Federation, recently they compiled a list of the 100
top hockey moments of the past century, in celebration of their 100th
anniversary. The Team USA “Miracle On Ice” was named #1, Paul Henderson and
Team Canada’s Summit Series win in 1972 was #2, while Russia’s 7-3 win in
Montreal in Game 1 of the series was #3. Further to the list, an all century
team was named, and not surprisingly Wayne Gretzky was named top centre.
Surprisingly, he was the only Canadian player named to the team. I’m guessing
the whole point behind all of this was to showcase hockey as an International
sport, but let’s get real – in Canada the Henderson goal will always be the
defining moment of the sport we invented – period. I mean, come on – it
happened a year before I was even born, yet it’s probably the one sports
highlight I’ve seen more than any other. The rest of the series was pale in
comparison, if you take away the Bobby Clarke slash on Valeri Kharlamov.

For those of you who thought I was
picking on Sean Avery again last article when I wished him best of luck at Vogue
magazine – I wasn’t. It really is true – Avery actually did accept a summer
position working for the popular fashion publication. Although, come to think
of it - it is kind of funny, yet fitting when you consider his personality. Hey
whatever, you’ll never be able to blame the guy for making the most of and
having fun with his life. Did anybody ever really find out what was wrong with
him after Game 4 against Pittsburgh? OK, so now I’m picking on him, but I’ll
leave him alone now – without him where would the Rangers be? – Now there’s the
scariest question of them all!

It hasn’t been the greatest year for
Ottawa and local based hockey teams. We all know the Senators were swept out of
the playoffs before they were able to warm up. In the OHL, the 67s suffered a
similar fate, getting swept by the Oshawa Generals. Now in the QMJHL, the team
from across the river, the Gatineau Olympiques, did manage to go all the way and
win the Quebec junior league championship, earning a berth in the CHL’s Memorial
Cup tournament, but then, they also got swept in a mere three games of the round
robin. As they say, better luck next year and thanks for the memories?! Well,
at least there’s good news on the baseball front this summer as the Ottawa
Rapides debut in the CanAm Triple A baseball league. They’ll occupy the same
stadium left vacant by the Ottawa Lynx. No major league affiliation = lower
ticket prices = (hopefully) more fans at the games.

Speaking of the Ottawa Senators – is
Pat Burns in their future? It’s been reported part of the reason Dany Heatley
played some of his best hockey of the year in his MVP performance at the World
Championship was due to a great rapport gained with Burns. Maybe, but you can’t
really rest the blame of the Sens’ season on Heatley. You can’t compare a short
tournament to an 82 game season. Had it not been for the shoulder injury he
would have hit 50 goals again – he managed 41 as it was – pretty damn good if
you ask me. As for Burns, I’ll tell you this much – if Bryan Murray can make it
happen, there will be no more nonsense at Scotiabank Place.

I’d like to know who is responsible
for some of the silly rumors out there, especially given we still have a final
round of playoffs to go – but without mentioning names, somebody out there
suggested the Philadelphia Flyers might be looking to trade R.J. Umberger to
Nashville for Ryan Suter?! I can tell you all right now, even though Umberger
is a restricted free agent, after the playoff he had the Flyers brass would be
retarded not to get his name on a new contract. In the event a team actually
makes an offer sheet, the offer should be matched immediately, no questions
asked. I can understand the reasoning here – Philly already has the likes of
Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell, but I have to wonder just how willing the
Predators would be to get rid of another up and coming defenseman – especially
to an Eastern Conference semi-finalist? I can’t even imagine it for one second.

It seems Jeremy Roenick isn’t hanging
them up just yet – he’s just signed on for one more swan song with the San Jose
Sharks. My guess is he liked what he saw this year and believes he still has a
shot at glory. One would have to think with a new coach next season the Sharks
will be a team to be reckoned with – another reason Detroit needs to win now.
You know the Sharks will be there, Dallas should be better, Anaheim will be back
– the West just keeps getting better and better. Somewhere deep down, I’m
actually happy to see him give it another go. Good for him.

If it’s not broke don’t fix it – or at
least this is the mentality Francois Giguere, Vice President and General Manager
of the Colorado Avalanche is adopting. Tony Granato will be back behind the
bench as head coach next season, after dropping into the assistant coach role
when Joel Quenneville was hired. Now with Quenneville gone, Granato will have
to prove he is the man for the job, again. Looking over the career stats – in
the two seasons prior to the lockout he had a coaching record of 72-33-17-11,
giving him a wins percentage of .647 – good enough for best overall in franchise
history. It’s the playoff record needing a lot of work. You can bet another
second round sweep will not go over well with team brass.

So here we are again, another NHL
season almost over – can you believe it? In future columns, I have a few ideas
on how to mix it up and keep the content fresh and relevant, but you’ll just
have to keep checking back to find out what I have in store for you. If you can
believe this, I recently took a trip down memory lane when I went back and read
over my first ten articles ever (as long ago as that seems). One of the things
I’ve decided I’m going to do is bring back the “Who Is This Guy?” part of the
column, where I’ll feature a player who’s come out of seemingly nowhere to
impact his team on a consistent basis. Franzen and Umberger could have been
perfect examples if we use this playoff run as the measuring stick.

Another idea I have is a “Where Are
They Now?” section, where I’ll pick a former NHL player and answer the
proverbial question. I’m thinking Alexei Yashin and Alexandre Daigle might be
good first picks, and not just because they were first round draft picks.
Here’s someone you haven’t heard about in awhile: Jason Krog. Instrumental in
Anaheim’s 2003 playoff run, while the Atlanta Thrashers hold his rights
nowadays, he’s been relegated to the farm team, the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. As of
this writing the Wolves are ahead 3-1 in the Calder Cup Western Conference final
series against the Toronto Marlies. Another player you haven’t heard about in
awhile playing on the same Chicago team? Joel Kwiatkowski. Stay tuned.

Enjoy the finals everybody and have a
great summer. As always, there’ll be lots of puck to talk about before long,
and you know if it’s worth mentioning, you’ll read about it here. Of course,
for up to the minute news or just if you’re interested in reading what random
thoughts I have from time to time, you can always read my blog. And don’t
forget about the NHL Awards on June 12th.